308 



BEARING. 



is cut longitudinally into four or five strips, each two inches or three inches 

 long, and turned down as in the figure, being left still attached to the tree. 

 From a shoot of the tree to be propagated, a tube of bark is taken, furnished 

 with four or five eyes, rather shorter than the strips, though longer than in 

 tube-budding. When the tube of the scion is slipped on the stock, the 

 strips of bark are raised over it, and fastened at the top by a ligature. Some- 

 times the end of the stock is cut obliquely, and the straps are brought up as 

 at a, in which case the top of the stock is not cut into shreds, and turned 

 down over the tube of bark, as in flute-budding in the South of France 

 (692). A curious experiment by this mode of budding, consists in placing 

 rings of the bark of different allied species, one above another, without 

 allowing any of the buds to develop themselves. On cutting down the stem 

 of a tree so treated, some yearg afterwards, it will be found that under each 

 kind of bark is a portion of its proper wood, proving that the wood is depo- 

 sited by the inner bark from the returning sap, and that the bark has the 

 power of so modifying this sap, as to produce the particular kind of wood of 

 the species to which it belongs, without the aid of any leaves of that species. 

 695. Annular budding (fig. 252) is performed either at the principal 

 movement of the sap in spring, or at the end of its principal 

 movement in August. In either case the top of the stock is 

 kept on ; and if the ring of bark containing a bud or buds taken 

 from the scion is larger than the space prepared for it on the 

 stock, a piece must be taken from it longitudinally, so as to 

 make it fit exactly. In Belgium this mode is considered par- 

 ticularly suitable for hard-wooded trees, which are difficult to 

 increase by any other mode. 

 Fig. 252. Annu' 696. The ofter-care of grafts by budding consists, in all cases, in 

 lar budding, removing the bandages or plasters as soon as it is ascertained that 

 the buds or scions have adhered to the stock. This may generally be known 

 in two or three weeks, by the healthy appearance of the bark and its bud or 

 buds, and by the dropping off of the petiole, which in the case of the death of the 

 bud withers and adheres. The next operation is to head-down the stock to 

 witlim an inch or two of the bud, the stump being left for a week or two as 

 a prop, to which the shoot produced by the bud of the scion may be tied, till 

 it acquires vigour enough to support itself. The stump is then cut ofi* in a 

 sloping direction, close above the bud. In general, any buds which develop 

 themselves on this stump should be rubbed off ; but in the case of very weak 

 scions, one or more buds may be left on the stump to draw up the sap till 

 the graft has taken. When budding is performed in spring, the stock should 

 have been headed down before the ascent of the sap; but in autumn-budding, 

 as no shoot is produced till the spring following, heading down is deferred 

 till that season, and takes place just before the sap is in motion. Where a 

 immber of grafts by buds are introduced on one stem or on one branch, 

 heading down can, of course, only take place above the uppermost bud ; 

 and in terminal flute-budding, it is performed as a necessary part of the 

 operation. 



SuBSECT. II. — Rearing. 

 697. The operations of rearing in horticulture are those which are 

 required to bring plants to that particular state of bulk, succulence, 

 colour^, or flavour, for which they are cultivated in gardens and garden 

 scenery. These operations may be included under transplanting, planting, 



